$900 Million Investment in State Roads by Gas Industry (home, construction)

[thecoalman]

Natural gas industry fixing state roads - News - Citizens' Voice

The industry spent more than $500 million statewide on repair and replacement projects on state roads since the natural gas boom began, said Kathryn Klaber, chief executive officer of the Marcellus Shale Coalition. That does not include nearly $406.7 million in impact fees the state Public Utility Commission said natural gas drillers were required to pay to counties over the same period, but critics say the industry still isn't paying its fair share.

Actually I don't even know why they are required to pay this, they are paying fuel taxes like any other trucking industry. Wla Mart's truck going down the same road is doing just as much damage and they aren'r required to pay extra.

[pman]

wear is related to weight and speed, among other things. the turnpike tries to account for this by counting axles. i can't say whether or not natural gas trucks are heavier than wall mart trucks but its possible there's an incremental cost. city folks have probably noticed what happens to a street when construction vehicles use it. perhaps all heavy vehicles should be required to pay extra. what happens when they opt for rail deliveries?

[PAhippo]

maybe because of the wear and tear on roads that just weren't meant to handle that kind of traffic.
one of the roads I used to drive home on had a 'proceed at own risk' sign. had to use it-the only way home. The road was replaced by the gas company, as was the one I live on, and innumerable others.


Not talking city streets with businesses.

[fisheye]

Here is a pdf file that tells why they should pay more into the system: http://catskillcitizens.org/learnmore/truckloads.pdf According to their estimates the wells could require between three hundred to fifteen hundred loads of waste water. That is for every well - that is a lot of weight. Then you consider that many of these trucks are running on back roads without a substantial base or thick pavement.

As far as $900 million - that is a drop in the bucket compared to the damage they could do to our bridges and roads. Bridges eat up millions in the blink of an eye. Yes; all commercial trucks pay into the system - but most do not have to run the routes that these fracking trucks are running. Just wait until the wells run dry and the taxpayer is left with the bill.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by pman

i can't say whether or not natural gas trucks are heavier than wall mart trucks but its possible there's an incremental cost.

On average they are certainly going to weigh less than the natural gas trucks, however more fuel use for the heavier weights and they are going to be similar to say construction vehicles from quarries. If the trucks are registered in PA the registration is also more compared to smaller trucks. I know the last time I registered a truck my large one was almost $700 and that was near the limits of single axle, I beleive they are paying in the range of $2K but I'm not positive.

The only extra I think they should be paying extra is to upgrade roads on their own and even then I think it's stretch. If the money isn't there(which it isn't) they need to consider raisng the fule tax or alternatives like per mile tax.

what happens when they opt for rail deliveries?

Really not possible.

[PAhippo]

My unofficial observation: most trucks have out of state license plates.
I've been watching as I've been 'collecting' license plates for years. Not literally, just paying attention to odd ones. Saw 2 from Alaska this year!

I would say the single commonest plate is from NY. Then the southern midwest. A few PA, NJ, Ohio.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

I beleive they are paying in the range of $2K but I'm not positive.

Didn't, years ago, many commercial carriers have signs on the trailers that they paid over $3500/year in road use taxes? I don't know how they came up with that figure? I also don't know if they got a break since that time or if they are paying more?

On the weight of the trailers: Would they not max out (80,000#) waste water trailers?

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by fisheye

Didn't, years ago, many commercial carriers have signs on the trailers that they paid over $3500/year in road use taxes? I don't know how they came up with that figure? I also don't know if they got a break since that time or if they are paying more?

On the weight of the trailers: Would they not max out (80,000#) waste water trailers?

It wouldn't surprise me if it were much more, with one truck I could easily go through 30 or 40 gallons of fuel in a day and I was only in single axle truck. 5 days a week and that's 4 to 5K a year.

I don't know what the max is fisheye, I never dealt with anything but single axle but 80K GVW sounds about right.

[pman]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

My unofficial observation: most trucks have out of state license plates.
I've been watching as I've been 'collecting' license plates for years. Not literally, just paying attention to odd ones. Saw 2 from Alaska this year!

I would say the single commonest plate is from NY. Then the southern midwest. A few PA, NJ, Ohio.

hat would make a lot if sense. i don't know where the deliveries are coming from but there wouldn't be enough drivers in pa to accommodate a sudden surge. i suppose registration wouldn't capture these trucks.
coalman-so now you want granite to subsidize road use of natural gas trucks on rural roads? always better to have the other guy pay the bill i guess. ironically they passed this fee so the money would go to rural areas. the question is whether they are paying enough, too much, or too little and that argument isn't settled. more usage fees aren't a ad substitute/complement to gas taxes.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by pman

coalman-so now you want granite to subsidize road use of natural gas trucks on rural roads? always better to have the other guy pay the bill i guess.

Every time they put a gallon of fule in those trucks they are paying to use the roads just like any other trucking company. What's not to understand?

more usage fees aren't a ad substitute/complement to gas taxes.

Note what I meant was for the entire trucking industry as a whole.